Definition

Noun: * Sciatic nerve: A major nerve of the lower limb. It is the largest and longest single nerve in the human body. It originates from the sacral plexus in the lower back, runs through the buttock and down the back of the thigh, and typically divides near the knee into the tibial nerve and the common peroneal (fibular) nerve to supply the leg and foot.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Injury to the nervus ischiadicus can cause severe pain, numbness, and weakness in the leg.
  • Sciatica is the common name for pain radiating along the path of the nervus ischiadicus.
  • The surgeon carefully avoided the nervus ischiadicus during the hip procedure.

Advanced Usage

• The term nervus ischiadicus is the formal Latin anatomical term. In general and medical English, it is almost exclusively referred to as the sciatic nerve.
• "Sciatic" is the derived adjective (e.g., , ).

Variants and Related Words

• Sciatic nerve: The common English term for .
• Sciatica (n): A condition characterized by pain radiating along the course of the sciatic nerve.
• Tibial nerve (n): One of the two terminal branches of the sciatic nerve.
• Common peroneal nerve / Common fibular nerve (n): The other terminal branch of the sciatic nerve.

Synonyms

• Sciatic nerve: The direct and primary synonym.

Related Phrases

• Sciatic nerve palsy: Paralysis or weakness caused by damage to the sciatic nerve.
• Entrapment of the sciatic nerve: A condition where the nerve is compressed.

Noun

1. arises from the sacral plexus and passes about halfway down the thigh where it divides into the common peroneal and tibial nerves